


the sound echoes

by FaultyParagon



Category: SK8 the Infinity (Anime)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon-Typical Violence, Drabble, Episode 9, Heartbreak, Love Triangles, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, One-Sided Relationship, Pining, Romance, Unrequited Love, Yearning, god what the heck was the ending of that episode, i am still shook
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:22:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29890743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaultyParagon/pseuds/FaultyParagon
Summary: Joe will never be able to forget that sound- of chemical-coated plywood slamming directly into unsuspecting flesh, the gleeful, giddy laughter of the assailant he used to call his friend......and the sound of the slightest inhale echoing through the monitor- this tiny grimace- the millisecond of Joe's life where he knows definitively that Cherry's heart has audibly shattered, and Joe will never be able to piece it back together.-aka the ending and aftermath of Episode 9. One-sided Joe/Cherry.
Relationships: Nanjo Kojiro | Joe & Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom, Nanjo Kojiro | Joe & Shindo Ainosuke | Adam, Nanjo Kojiro | Joe/Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom
Comments: 8
Kudos: 71





	the sound echoes

**Author's Note:**

> So I binged the entire show two days ago and caught up on the newest episode, and now I'm here. This was pumped out in about 20 minutes. I'll probably write more for this fandom later.

_I knew he wouldn’t win, but… not like this-_

Ss red fades to a brilliant swathe of pink covering the camera, shimmering even in the dim lights of lanterns illuminating the path forward, Joe has no choice but to accept what is happening as reality. He had seen in coming, after all- he had warned Cherry again and again of the folly of their actions, in the recklessness of continuing to compete in S after all this time. They cannot trust Adam. They never have been able to trust Adam- there has always been too much power with too little control glittering in those burning eyes, that smile a little too manic, that voice a little too smooth and seductive and _knowing-_

But none of that has ever mattered to Cherry. Joe knows this. It never mattered to Kouta, and it does not matter now to the beautiful skater; even as Joe watches limply with every muscle in his body going numb as Adam lifts up his skateboard, feet carrying that crazed smile all the way to Cherry, Joe knows this fact to be true. That familiar, resolute brow, that long pink hair fluttering in the wind, streaking through the night air as it always does, does not hesitate in the face of this unabashed madness.

Cherry never hesitates when it comes to Adam. Kouta never has, either.

Joe knows this.

And yet, as he finally sees Adam stop in place, pulling the skateboard back like a baseball bat, coiled and ready to spring with as much ferocity as his tall, powerful, limber body can muster, Joe is struck by the silence of the moment as that unwavering determination in Cherry’s eyes finally fades, the moment captured upon camera and projected for the awaiting audience in perfect, sickening clarity.

At first, it is joy which fills those thin, intelligent eyes. Joe’s fists clench tight, bile rising into his throat as he recognizes that look; he has seen it time and time again for years, ever since Kouta had decided that this strange teen with his skateboarding skills of a god was worth more than just a friendly rival, a skating companion. Joe has seen this look time and time again, misting over those same eyes- now lined with far too much worry, far too much loneliness, far too much betrayal- to belong to the same young man he used to be.

He has always hated that look. Cherry has never given Joe that look.

But then, that look drains away, leaving nothing but a deathly pallor as unrequited adoration is replaced by comprehension, and suddenly, the entire crowd is silent.

Adam moves the board forward. His laughter echoes in the air, captured in all its sickening, twisted glory for the spectators to witness. Joe does not hear it, though; for him, the world is at a standstill, the only thing he can focus upon being the movement of a dark mask, the rising of thin brows, the short, quiet, _horrified_ intake of breath-

And then, Adam’s skateboard lands squarely in Cherry’s face, and all that is left of Cherry’s momentum is a toppled board, Carla’s voice ringing emptily into the air whilst that lithe, graceful figure whom Joe has never been allowed to touch flies across the sky.

The thud is sickening. Adam’s leering grin, even more so; the camera does not focus upon Cherry’s face for long, but there is no audible reaction to pick up from the winded, broken creature who lays there, a husk, its contents shattered irrevocably within.

The world flashes red, wide eyes absorbing every bit of colour and detail they possibly can in lieu of a lack of reason. There is no reason for this to be happening, right? There is _no way_ this is happening, right?

Joe wants to run. He wants to get onto the track, to ride down it so that he can find that limp, broken body and collect every shard which has lost its place thanks to this assault. He shall stitch Cherry back together- he always has and he always will, he just needs to go-

His legs do not move. Despite all of his training and strength, there is no power in the world that can convince his trembling feet to take that first step. It just does not feel real.

Before he can even begin to drag himself forward, still unable to tear his eyes away from the horror show which has unfolded upon the screen before him, Adam spins around, his voice cheery and bright as the deranged man beckons towards Langa through the camera. He calls and begs, openly leering at the teenager who has captured his fancy. Joe does not pay those words any mind- he has long since given up on Adam, despite all of his airs that he shall face off against the man in a proper beef one day- and instead focuses upon the prone, shattered figure still lying on the floor.

Something glistens upon Cherry’s face. As Adam steals the spotlight, not a single voice in the crowd surrounding Joe mentions those tears. For that, at least, Joe is grateful; Cherry has never liked showing Joe just how broken he is in the face of Adam’s abandonment. He has always feared judgement, wearing that fear upon his sleeve.

Joe wishes he could just man up and tell Cherry that there is no reason to fear. Joe will never leave Cherry, especially not now- not when Joe knows that the sound of Cherry’s heart shattering alongside his body- that quiet gasp- shall live in Joe’s mind forever.

He doesn’t want it to. Cherry’s never been good at listening to him, to _seeing him,_ though, so that eternal, gut-wrenching moment shall have to do.

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment and let me know what you think!


End file.
